Negligentia: Absque
by Murkatroyd
Summary: Continuation of Negligentia. As Harry discusses his conflicted thoughts and feelings about the Potters with Daphne and the Lupins, he considers what family truly is to him.


**Disclaimer –**  
The story of Harry Potter isn't mine, and I'm receiving nothing for fiddling around with it. Everything recognisable belongs to J.K. Rowling. All I'm doing is messing around with her world. I won't accept any accusations saying I'm doing otherwise. The only things I take any claim for are the incantations and characters I have created for myself.

 **Author's Note –**  
I'll use italics for letters, thoughts, Parseltongue, and any other forms of verbal and non-verbal expression that seem appropriate. I won't use bold tags for anything except chapter titles.

As of 2016, I've amended the story for the purposes of grammar and wording.

 **Summary –**  
Continuation of Negligentia. As Harry discusses his conflicted thoughts and feelings about the Potters with Daphne and the Lupins, he considers what family truly is to him.

–– STORY ––  
 _ **Negligentia: Absque**_

 **Sunday, November 21, 2004  
4:50 PM**

The emerald-green flames which suddenly burst to life in the fireplace would have been surprising, even to the average witch or wizard. To the current headmistress of Hogwarts, who was well accustomed to this weekly occurrence, the emergence of the green flames wasn't even worthy of a sidelong glance. Only after a head appeared in the flames and looked up at her did Minerva McGonagall bother to look up from her paperwork.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," she greeted, offering a smile to the head in the fire which she reserved for non-students. "I expect you would like to step through for your weekly dinner with Professors Lupin and Tonks?"

"You know me too well, Professor McGonagall," Harry Potter said cheerfully. "May Daphne and I step through?"

"Of course."

Seconds after Harry Potter's head vanished from the fireplace, the flames died down. They quickly burst to life again, this time filing the fireplace, and gave form to an elegant woman with long, blonde hair and silver-hemmed green robes, who stepped out of the flames with the ease of one who had mastered such steps early on in life. The man who followed her, who had messy black hair and wore deep blue robes, tumbled out of the fireplace in comparison.

He quickly righted himself, his green eyes immediately finding the professor's. "Good evening, Minerva," he said, his fiancée echoing him.

"Good evening, Harry, Daphne," Professor McGonagall replied. "It's especially good of you to arrive on time tonight. The young Mr. Lupin has been quite vocal about his impatience today. He's twice visited my office to ask me when you will arrive. There is a limitless energy in that boy which is quite plainly inherited from his mother," she said fondly, though she shot Harry an exasperated look and added, "Though I have my suspicions about his godfather's influence."

Harry smiled sheepishly. "I was a quiet kid, to be honest," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Indeed," said Professor McGonagall. She turned her attention to Daphne. "I believe there is a student visit to Hogsmeade currently underway. I trust there were no incidents brought to your notice, Daphne?"

"No, Minerva," Daphne replied. "Rubeus informed me of a minor scuffle between two students in Gryffindor and two in Slytherin, all from the fifth year, but it was quickly resolved and there were no other issues brought to my attention this weekend. The of-age students were nowhere to be found, of course."

"Of course," Professor McGonagall agreed. "I expect they enjoyed their freedom to Apparate anywhere they wish. Well, I won't keep you. Say hello to those godchildren of yours for me."

"Will do," Harry said. They exchanged their goodbyes and the young couple took their leave. As they stepped off of the spiral staircase a minute later, Daphne took Harry's arm and they walked side by side to the Lupins' private quarters.

At this late point in the term, there weren't any students at Hogwarts who were surprised to see their Professor Greengrass walking through its corridors with her fiancé, and nor did any of them mistake the man for the boy who lived, Jacob Potter, his twin brother who was famous the world over. In fact, the only attention the couple received that wasn't given to them by the portraits was from a small group of first and second year students who cheerfully greeted Daphne, greetings that were warmly returned.

Harry was always happy to see how well-liked Daphne was to the students of all four houses. It had taken much time to come to grips with the idea that a Potions teacher was well-liked at Hogwarts, especially when he remembered how hated Potions was by most everyone when he was a student. Daphne, however, was a far more approachable teacher than Professor Snape, who was now the deputy headmaster of Hogwarts and taught Potions only to NEWT students, allowing him more time for project and contract work. Though he had no personal issues with the man – those had been solved soon after Harry had first stepped foot in Hogwarts – even he recognised that Professor Snape was never popular as a teacher. No one could deny his effectiveness in the environment that was a Potions classroom, though.

It was a few minutes before five when Harry and Daphne arrived in front of the portrait guarding the Lupins' quarters. After glancing around to make sure there were no students nearby, he quietly said the password for the month, " _Riddikulus._ " The painted man nodded his head and the portrait swung open, allowing them entry. The moment they stepped into the entranceway of the quarters, the portrait swinging shut behind them, a loud, high-pitched voice and equally loud thumping footsteps signalled the entrance of a very hyper four year old boy with bright blue eyes and a mop of equally bright blue hair.

"Uncle Harry!" Teddy Lupin squealed happily. "Auntie Daphie!"

"Hi, kiddo!" Harry exclaimed as he knelt and caught his godson in a hug, grinning at Daphne's look at the name Teddy still called her. "Did you have a good weekend?"

"Uh-huh!" said Teddy excitedly as he jumped up and down in Harry's arms, to his patient amusement. In one long breath he prattled, "Daddy took me to see Haggid yesterday and I got to see Beaky and Daddy and I got to fly on Beaky's back and we flew over the lake and –"

"– nearly gave his mother a heart attack when she found out," said Nymphadora Tonks, sternly cutting across her son as she walked over to greet them. A Metamorphmagus like her son, her hair was a silvery-blue today and hung in soft curls down to her shoulders. Combined with her pale skin, violet eyes and high cheekbones, it made for a rather unique appearance, though one that Harry was not unaccustomed to. "Wotcher, you two," Tonks added with a lighter tone.

"Hi, Tonks," Daphne said, sharing a hug with the older woman in greeting.

"Hi, Tonks," Harry repeated, smiling at her as he stood up and lifted his excited godson up into his arms. "Remus," he added as Remus Lupin made his way over as well.

"Harry," he said, looking tired but happy to see them. He held out his hand, and Harry adjusted Teddy, who was still prattling away despite his mother's interruption, so he could hold him with one arm and shake Remus's hand with the other. "Daphne," he added, smiling at her as well. "It's good to see you two."

"You as well," Harry said. He frowned at Remus's weary stance and tired green eyes. "You don't look so well, though. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine," Remus assured them. "I'm just a bit tired. As you know, the full moon will be this coming Friday."

Harry blinked. He knew how rough it was for Remus in the days leading up to his transformation into the werewolf, but it was usually only in the two or three days before, not five.

Remus must have noticed the worried look in his eyes, for he quickly added, "Don't give it too much thought, Harry. The transformation only gets harder on the body as I get older. That being said, the Wolfsbane potion that Daphne so kindly provides me with every month takes the worst out of the morph – I expect my hair would be fully grey right now if I didn't have access to the potion."

"You know I'm happy to provide, Remus," Daphne said fondly, and he smiled at her.

"You're only in your forties, though," Harry said, still concerned despite being told otherwise. "Hardly old enough for a considerable difference."

"As much the Ravenclaw as ever," Remus teased. "Trust me, Harry, I would tell you if something was wrong. As it is, I have been feeling a little under the weather this last week, and my body's preparation for the upcoming transformation is only adding to that stress. Nothing I cannot handle."

"Well, all right," said Harry, "as long as you're certain."

"I am."

Harry wasn't convinced, but he would drop the subject for now.

Daphne changed the subject from there. "How is our beautiful goddaughter this evening?"

"Finally sleeping for a while," said Tonks dramatically. "Merlin, that girl screams loud enough to wake the dead."

"Anna cries a lot," Teddy piped up, having noticed that the attention was no longer on him. "Mommy says that all babies cry a lot."

"That's right, kiddo," replied Harry, ruffling his godson's already messy hair, which was now jet-black to reflect his godfather's. He beamed at Harry, his now bright green eyes shining brightly. A few subtle manipulations of his facial structure and Teddy would look exactly like a miniature version of his godfather, something that amused all of the present adults. "You used to cry a lot, too," he added teasingly.

"Did not!" Teddy said indignantly, his hair briefly flashing crimson red before returning to jet-black.

"Oh, yes you did," Remus and Tonks replied in perfect unison. They caught each other's eyes and grinned.

Harry grinned as well. "But that's all right, mini-me," he added. "I cried a lot when I was a baby, and so did your mommy and daddy, and Auntie Daphie –" ("I swear to Merlin," she growled under her breath, to general amusement.) "– and Grandma Andy and Grandpa Ted. And between you and me," he added in a stage-whisper that everyone could clearly hear, "so did your Uncle Draco and Auntie Storie."

Both Tonks and Daphne laughed loudly at this.

Teddy blinked as he considered this. "Oh, OK," he said after a few seconds. "I didn't cry that much though!"

Harry laughed and ruffled Teddy's hair again. "Whatever you say, kid," he said. "Want to say hello to Auntie Daphie?"

"Yeah!"

"I hate you," Daphne breathed at Harry as she smiled at her godson and lifted him up out of Harry's arms. Teddy's hair and eyes immediately changed to match hers, though he kept his hair in its short mop style.

Harry chuckled. So did Remus and Tonks, both of whom had seen her silent message.

"So, how about we get ready to tuck in for dinner?" Tonks said. "The house-elves are sending us some roast beef tonight. The head elf assured us that dinner will be on the table at quarter after five."

"Sounds great," said Harry. "Lead the way!"

Daphne chuckled and, still holding Teddy and rubbing his back in a certain way he liked that usually calmed him down, followed Tonks into the dining room.

As Harry and Remus followed them, Harry commented, "That kid of yours changes his hair and eyes so often, I don't even remember their original colors."

"I'm not entirely certain I do either," said Remus after a moment's thought. "Dora assures me that he inherited my eye color, but I remember him having her own dark eyes. We're both quite sure he was born with brown hair, though, because both of us were – well, at least, Dora says she was."

"Hmm," Harry said thoughtfully. He shrugged. "Metamorphmagi are strange like that."

Remus snorted. "To some degrees," he agreed. "My wife might object to that idea, though."

"Nah, I'm pretty strange," said Tonks, who had clearly been listening, and Remus rolled his eyes good-naturedly. At that moment Daphne set Teddy down and he immediately ran to Harry again, his hair and eyes once more reflecting Harry's. He raised his arms, clearly wanting to be held again.

"Didn't I already carry you today?" teased Harry.

"Again!" Teddy demanded.

Harry raised his eyebrows at Teddy's tone. "Edward Remus Lupin," he said sternly.

Teddy flinched at the use of his full name, which he recognised to be primarily used when he was being told off, and widened his eyes to the point Harry was never capable of refusing. From the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Tonks poke her head out from around the corner, though she didn't intervene.

"Again, please, Uncle Harry?" the four-year-old tried with a quivering lower lip.

"Oh, fine, since you said 'please'," Harry said with an exaggerated sigh and a smile. He knelt down to pick up his now-beaming godson, who wrapped his little arms around Harry's neck.

"Don't get him too excited, Harry," Tonks told him as he followed her into the dining room. "Otherwise he won't be ready to sleep after dinner."

"He'll be ready," Harry promised. He looked at Teddy and added, "Won't you, mini-me?"

Teddy nodded so excitedly that Harry rather doubted he knew what he was nodding to.

Harry set Teddy down on his chair, the legs of which magically extended to allow Teddy to reach the table, and took his own place next to Daphne. There was only a few minutes left until dinner would be sent up by the Hogwarts house-elves.

"So, how were classes this week?" he asked the three professors as Remus and Tonks took their seats as well.

"Excellent," Remus said, replying first. "My first year students have made tremendous improvement throughout the term, and particular improvement this month. Their writing has been the best of their age group I have seen in my time here. I'm glad I asked Minerva to allow for students to take that voluntary penmanship course, and I'm even more thrilled that all of the young students are taking it – after all, History of Magic is primarily tests and essay-writing."

"Agreed," Daphne said. "I don't know that I can describe how refreshing it is to read a Potions essay and actually be able to understand what I'm reading."

"I can imagine," Harry said agreeably.

"The first years are mostly getting the hang of Transfiguration," said Tonks. "Some of the third years are having trouble, but the upper years have been good about willingly offering their time tutoring them. The OWL students could use more practice, though. Some of their work has been just dreadful ... I'm giving out more Ps and Ds than I would like to students who have to write their OWLs in half a year from now."

"Every year I'm thankful that Severus deals with the NEWT students," Daphne admitted. "Say what you will about the man, but he keeps students in line in his own unique way."

"Oh, I remember Potions classes all too well," Tonks said. "Much as I don't really care for Severus, you're right about that."

Harry was about to add his two Knuts, but the arrival of their dinner interrupted him before he could speak. "And now for food," he said happily.

"Hear, hear," said Remus, and there was appreciative chuckling around the table as they all tucked in to their meal. For the next twenty minutes, the adults continued chatting about their jobs – in Harry's case, he mostly listened and offered an opinion here and there since he couldn't discuss his work in any real amount of detail – while Teddy occasionally blurted out comments that brought about laughs and, in one case, a sharp reprimand from his mother.

"I won't be able to join you for dinner next weekend," Daphne told Remus and Tonks as they slowly finished their meals. Harry was making funny faces at Teddy, who was replicating them to the best of his ability. "My bridesmaids are insisting that I join them in Paris – not that I'm putting up any argument – and we won't be back until late Sunday evening."

"Quite all right," Remus assured her. "I've never been, but I can assume that Paris is the more exciting option."

"We'll still have Harry with us, too," Tonks said brightly, and Harry looked up and nodded before returning his attention to Teddy. "What's the occasion for Paris?"

"My friends Pansy and Tracey won't have another weekend off at the same time before winter hits," Daphne explained. "I can finish marking essays on Friday evening and be ready to leave on Saturday morning. We just want to see Paris, really."

"That's as good a reason as any," said Tonks. "I was in Paris with friends just before I applied for the Auror Office. I loved it."

The empty dishes vanished at that moment. Next moment, cries could be heard from another room.

"I swear she planned that," Tonks said with a small grin. "Remus, would you be a dear and fetch our daughter? I'll go and prepare the tea."

"I'll get her, Remus," said Daphne. "Seeing my wonderful goddaughter always makes me happy."

Remus smiled and said, "Thank you."

As Daphne followed Tonks out of the room, Remus turned his attention to Harry, his expression serious.

"I think it's my turn to point out that you don't look so well yourself, Harry," he said. "Something the matter?"

Harry smiled and looked down. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?" he quipped.

"No, you can't," said Remus. "Did something happen at work this week?"

"What happened?" asked Daphne as she returned with Anna in her arms. The baby, no longer crying, was gurgling happily as she tugged at one of Daphne's long locks. Cooing at her, Daphne returned to her seat next to Harry. "Something happened?"

"Harry was just about to say."

"Nothing happened at work," Harry replied. He smiled at his goddaughter and kissed her forehead before putting his full attention on Remus once more. "I wanted to tell you anyway. I think I need to get it off my chest."

"Get what off your chest?" asked Tonks as she returned with a tray of tea and mugs in her hands.

"Harry was just about to say," Remus repeated as Tonks set out mugs for everyone before taking her seat again.

"Does this have to do with what you alluded to on Tuesday night?" Daphne asked.

"Yeah," he replied. He turned to face Remus and Tonks. "Tuesday was a very different than normal day for me," he explained, "and it started before the day really began. In the middle of the night, around half past two, Daphne and I had an unexpected visitor."

Daphne blinked. "This is about Sirius Black?"

"Yeah," Harry said again.

"Sirius?" said Remus, looking surprised. "Why would Sirius visit your flat at such an hour during the week?"

"Why would Sirius visit you at all?" Tonks bluntly asked. "I mean, you two were never close like he is with the rest of your family." Remus nodded at his wife's addition.

"To answer both questions, he was pissed," Harry replied. "I told him off for bothering us so late at night when we had to work in the morning. Then I went back to bed and I thought that was the end of that."

"Only it wasn't, was it?" Daphne said pointedly as she passed a yawning Anna to her mother.

"No, it wasn't," Harry said. He looked at his fiancée apologetically and she nodded. "When I arrived at work that morning, there was a letter from Sirius waiting for me at my desk." He looked up at Tonks. "Apparently he just wanted to spend some time catching up with me. He said he'd never quite got to know me when I was still living with my parents."

"Interesting," Remus commented after taking a long drink of tea. "How did you respond to that?"

"I didn't really know how to respond," Harry admitted. "After all, Sirius is Jacob's godfather, not mine. I never expected him to get to know me. I gather he was supposed to be something of an uncle to me since he and Dad are like brothers, but I've only ever seen him as a friend of the family." He took a few sips of tea. "Anyway, he used the letter to apologise for dropping by unannounced and also to ask me to join him for dinner that evening. I was curious enough to find out what he wanted, so I met him at the Leaky Cauldron."

"You couldn't have been there for long, though," Daphne pointed out, "as you were already back when I got home at six."

Harry nodded. "Our meeting didn't go all that well. I was gone for about three-quarters of an hour, a full hour at most."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Remus said, looking resigned now, "but what happened?"

For the next quarter of an hour, Harry told his audience of three about his dinner with Sirius, omitting only the brief moments when he'd lost himself in thoughts of times such as the day he'd left Godric's Hollow and the day of Albus Dumbledore's funeral. He explained that their meeting had initially been cordial: they'd talked about their respective lives a bit, but their discussion had soon become an argument over Harry's friendship with Draco Malfoy, which Sirius simply couldn't believe of any Potter, and over Slytherin house in general. He also told them that he'd invited Sirius to the wedding, but had retracted that invitation upon realising just how much of a mistake it was.

Daphne, who currently _was_ Draco's sister-in-law, was not pleased when she pieced together what Sirius had truly said. Remus sighed and tiredly put his face in his hands.

"I think he had the impression that I was defending the Malfoy family as a whole," Harry continued, "even though it was only Draco I was standing up for. I don't know much of anything about Narcissa, and I thought I'd made it clear that I don't like people like Lucius, but perhaps I didn't. I even said that if Draco's parents were at our wedding, it would only be because their son and daughter-in-law are also attending. I reckon it wouldn't have mattered, though. Sirius was adamant in his belief that nobody who was in Slytherin house can be trusted."

"I think he might have forgotten that my mother, his _favorite cousin_ , was in Slytherin when she was at Hogwarts," said Tonks, who looked like she wanted to immediately find Sirius to give him a piece of her mind.

"So was my grandmother," Harry replied. "Of course, that was never really acknowledged by my family. I guess he thought they were _exceptions to the rule_."

"Typical."

"Sirius despised Slytherins when we were at Hogwarts," Remus told them, having lifted his face from his hands. "It isn't surprising, considering his upbringing, but I'd thought he would eventually get over that hatred as an adult. I suppose he never did."

"I understand that the Death Eaters delivered a crippling blow to the reputation of Slytherin house," said Harry. "I'm not denying that. But the Death Eaters have been disbanded for over twenty years, and there are _still_ people who act like every Slytherin is just waiting to join Voldemort after they graduate. They weren't even all Slytherins." He sighed. "Too many people see things as black and white, light and dark. A lot of them even see Gryffindor as unequivocally light and Slytherin as unequivocally dark. It's ridiculous, really."

"You can say that again," said Tonks with a huff. "I haven't forgotten what people used to say about Hufflepuff."

"Unfortunately, they still do," Daphne said.

"No house is perfect," Remus said firmly. "Peter Pettigrew is living proof that Gryffindor isn't entirely good. Of course, the average wizarding citizen doesn't know his background beyond the fact that he was a traitor."

"Yeah," said Harry distractedly. "I just … I don't know, I heard Sirius's words and I couldn't believe them."

"You never got to know Sirius," Remus pointed out.

"I suppose." Harry took Daphne's hand and kissed it. "His prejudice is blind. He virtually admitted it to me himself. If it meant separating myself from anything with the Malfoy name on it, Sirius made it clear that I should do it. Never mind the fact that the best thing that ever happened to me was part of that price."

Daphne softened at that and kissed him. "You're forgiven," she whispered so only he could hear, and he smiled in response.

"Did you actually tell Sirius that Draco and I get along?" Remus asked, a hint of amusement in his tone.

Harry nodded. "I made it clear that you aren't close," he added, "not by any stretch of the word, but you both get along fine when you share breathing space, and if you can be civil with someone from a family such as the Malfoys –"

"– there's no reason Sirius can't, too," said Remus, nodding at Harry's words. "I admit I never actually thought that things between the two of us could be cordial," he continued, "particularly after seeing him during my year teaching Defence, but Draco surprised me. When I took up the History of Magic post during your final year at Hogwarts, I met a very different Draco Malfoy than the one I'd met four years before."

"I was surprised, too," Tonks said as she rocked a sleeping Anna in her arms. "Mom was disinherited before I was born, so I could never claim to be one of the Blacks. I didn't really expect my only first cousin to acknowledge me beyond the fact I was his Transfigurations teacher. Imagine my shock when he not only sought me out several times throughout the year, but kept in touch with me after graduating! He's been great to the kids, too."

"I think Astoria was largely responsible for Draco's growth," Daphne commented after taking a drink of tea. "Mind you," she added with a small grin, "he was probably embarrassed when he found himself being followed around by a girl two years his junior."

"Didn't stop him from dating her in our final year, though," Harry pointed out.

"No," said Daphne, "they made it in the end, but I heard all about it from Draco when we were fourteen."

Harry laughed, while Remus and Tonks chuckled.

"To return to the subject at hand," said Remus after a few moments, "I find myself disappointed in Sirius. Granted, I'm not the close friend to him that I was when we were at Hogwarts together, but I really thought he'd learn to let go of his prejudices."

"Dad certainly didn't," Harry said with a shrug of his shoulders, "and he passed that hatred down to Jacob. He and Ron Weasley hated Slytherins as a collective and made sure everyone knew it. I remain grateful to this day that I kept the sorting hat from putting me in Gryffindor with them."

"As if there was ever a chance of you not being sorted into Ravenclaw, Harry," Tonks teased. "The ultimate bookworm, you are."

"I seem to recall a nine-year-old boy studying Arithmancy at the fourth year level," added Remus with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah," Harry grumbled good-naturedly, poking his tongue out at them. "The hat mentioned that Rowena Ravenclaw herself would be happy to have me," he admitted. "It was surprised when I asked it to not put me in Gryffindor or Slytherin, though."

Tonks blinked at this. "You've never told me about that part of it," he said slowly. "You originally asked against _two_ houses?"

Harry nodded.

"That doesn't seem like news to you," Tonks said to Daphne.

"I've known for a long time," she replied. "I understood once he explained his reasoning to me."

"I think I can guess as to your reasoning, Harry," said Remus. "I already know why you didn't want to be in Gryffindor. After all, you'd been preparing for years at that point to get out from your brother's shadow, and very few of your accomplishments would have been recognised, or even acknowledged, if you'd followed your brother into Gryffindor."

"So far, so good," Harry told him.

Remus nodded and continued, "As for Slytherin, you kept out of that house to keep the peace. James has no love for Slytherins, and Lily would probably have taken his side due to what happened between her and Severus when they were teenagers."

"Right again," said Harry. "You all know that I was rarely given the time of day by them. If I had been sorted into Slytherin, the only attention I would ever have gotten from them would be disappointment. Besides, even they could see that I was far better suited to Ravenclaw."

"It would have been challenging to ignore your shelves full of scrolls of handwritten notes," agreed Remus.

"So you're definitely writing Sirius out of the invitation list?" asked Tonks, bringing them back to the original topic of discussion.

"He was never actually on the list," Daphne said. She looked glad of that.

"I don't want him anywhere near our wedding," Harry said firmly. "I will _not_ let it be ruined by anyone. Certainly not people who might hate my wife-to-be simply because of the house she was sorted into at Hogwarts, which is irrelevant when our time as Hogwarts students is long since behind us."

"I understand," said Remus. "It will be your big day, after all."

"Exactly."

"What about the Potters?" Tonks asked. "Are you worried about inviting them?"

Harry hesitated, but only for a moment. "Yes, I am," he replied. "To be honest, I don't really want to."

An uneasy silence followed his words. It was interrupted by Teddy when he got out of his seat and curled up on Harry's lap, his hair and eyes once more changing to match Harry's. He smiled and hugged his godson.

"I know I probably should invite them," he continued after a minute or so had passed.

"You're afraid they won't approve of me," Daphne said, "and you don't want them there if that's the case."

"That's half-right," said Harry. "I don't really care if they approve of you or not. Nothing my parents can say or do would ever make me want to give you up. I just don't want them at the wedding if their disapproval of you is going to give them an excuse to make a scene … I mean, do you want that?"

"No, I don't," Daphne said. With a sigh, she continued, "Harry, you know it doesn't matter to me if I ever have a relationship with my in-laws. It would perhaps be nice, but I'm marrying you because I love _you_ , not because I'm interested in your family. I'm certainly not fussed to ever get to know my future brother-in-law; I already know all I need to about _him_."

Harry knew all of that. He was glad to hear her say it, though.

"Besides," she added, "why would I want to get to know them when they never bothered to get to know you?"

For a few long moments, Harry didn't reply. Daphne patiently waited for him to speak, while Remus and Tonks glanced at each other with twin curious looks before returning their eyes to their friends.

"Mom and I had a moment once," said Harry quietly, his mind returning to the day he left Godric's Hollow for a flat with Daphne in Westminster. "It was my eighteenth birthday, maybe a few hours before we all went out that night. I remember it so well because it's one of the only real moments I've ever had with her. She said she regretted losing all of those years with me. Said it felt like she'd lost something she could never get back."

"And so she did," Remus replied, looking at his godson sympathetically. "She lost out on the chance to truly know one of her sons. Even if she'd started getting to know you better then, how could she really be a mother to you after so many years?"

"She told me she was proud of me," Harry continued, barely noticing that Remus had spoken. "It was the first time she'd ever said that to me. Even my father sort of alluded to it … in his own way, I guess. He was amazed by my control over my wandless magic and admitted that I was better with it than him or Jacob."

"Well, you've always had a fantastic level of control over it," Remus replied, "even as a child."

"It certainly made our first date memorable," Daphne added, and Harry blushed a bit, remembering that day all too well.

"What was she proud of you for?" asked Tonks.

"I told her about my contract at the time with the Department of Mysteries." He looked down. "I didn't really know how to react when she told me."

"I feel sick just hearing that," said Tonks. There was no pity in her eyes, but the sadness she felt for him couldn't be denied. "I couldn't even begin to imagine paying no regard to Teddy or Anna for even a little while, let alone for their entire childhoods."

"Everybody sees me!" Teddy piped up helpfully, a bright smile on his face.

His exclamation, and the four adults' laughter at it, broke the somber mood that had fallen over the room. "You've got that right, mini-me," Harry said as he hugged Teddy again, unable to even fathom the idea of his godson going through an upbringing comparable to his own. "No one's ever going to ignore you."

"You and Anna, son, are our greatest treasures," Remus said as he reached across the table and scooped up Teddy, who happily hugged his father and morphed his eyes and hair to match Remus's. Tonks, still holding their sleeping daughter, leaned in to them and smiled. "I never want you to doubt that."

"I won't, Daddy!"

Harry and Daphne smiled at the exchange. Harry felt his smile turn a bit sad as he remembered a moment from his childhood that was similar and yet different, so very different …

* * *

 **Friday, July 31, 1987  
9:30 PM**

Harry smiled a bit as he walked up the stairs to his bedroom for the night. Today was his seventh birthday. There were only four more years until he could go to Hogwarts!

The thought of only having a few years left until school wasn't on the forefront of the average seven-year-old's mind, but it meant everything to Harry Potter. He couldn't wait until he could finally go to Hogwarts. He couldn't wait until he could finally learn magic properly.

There was only so many ways he could entertain himself with wandless levitation charms, after all.

He loved hearing about Hogwarts. Remus had told him so many stories about his own adventures when he was a student at Hogwarts and Harry couldn't wait to experience it all for himself. He wanted to learn it all. He wanted to discover everything there was to discover about magic. He wanted to brew potions and fly on broomsticks and work with magical plants and transfigure something into something else and learn and discover so many other wonders of the world.

He was so bored at home. What was there to do in Godric's Hollow anymore? He'd lived here all his life, after all. His parents never paid him any real mind and his brother didn't really notice him. Even today, their birthday, their parents and Jacob's godfather, Sirius, had spent the entire day with Jacob.

If they noticed Harry wasn't there as well, they didn't look for him.

The small smile slipped from his face at the thought. It hurt. Harry tried hard to tell himself that it didn't hurt, but it did. He tried to justify it. Jacob was the one who'd beat Voldemort and he deserved the attention he got for it and, besides, wasn't Remus always there for Harry? But it hurt. He wondered if it would ever stop hurting.

He hoped that someday it would.

At least they'd got him presents. Delphino must have mentioned to them how much he loved reading because he'd got some books for his birthday. _A Guide to Medieval Sorcery_ and _Quidditch through the Ages_. He wasn't really interested in Quidditch, but at least his dad had given him something. He would read it for that reason alone.

That was how Harry found himself on his way to his bedroom that evening, ready to get into bed to read one of his new books. As he passed by his brother's room, he heard his dad talking to Jacob and stopped at the door to listen.

"…you have a nice birthday?" James was asking.

"I sure did!" exclaimed Jacob. "I want to go flying again soon!"

"We'll see," said James, and Harry could practically hear the smile in his voice. "You know how your mother feels about flying."

"I know," Jacob said. "I hope she's not angry with me about that twirl earlier."

Harry couldn't see them, but he heard shuffling and knew that his brother was being pulled into a hug. He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but for some reason he couldn't help himself. He couldn't say why. Was he waiting to hear his own name mentioned, perhaps?

"She's not angry with you, Jake," James assured him. "And even if she was, don't worry about it. She's never angry for too long."

"OK," said Jacob.

"You, son, are our pride and joy," said James proudly. "Never doubt that. I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy."

Whatever it was he'd been waiting to hear, Harry didn't need to hear more after that. He quickly continued on, holding the book tightly to his chest to prevent himself from otherwise reacting. He got to his room and had just closed the door behind him and leaned against it when the first tear fell.

He desperately tried to tell himself that his dad thought that way about both of his sons.

There had to be a way for him to stand out. To be noticed, or even _acknowledged_. He thought about it as he crawled under the covers, his books forgotten on the nightstand, and knew there wasn't much he could do. His one real enjoyment was in learning, particularly in reading. Based on what Remus had told him about the four Hogwarts houses, he had a feeling he was destined for Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor, where his parents and Remus had gone.

Perhaps he could use that, Harry thought. He tightly hugged the stuffed wolf Remus had given him for his birthday to his chest. Perhaps one day he really could stand out by showing his parents and everyone how much he knew. Perhaps one day he would be worthy of their notice.

His sobs, as always, were silent.

* * *

 **Sunday, November 21, 2004  
6:00 PM**

Harry blinked as he pulled himself back to the present.

He hadn't thought about that night in years, but he remembered only too well his childhood desire to be noticed by his parents. He remembered how he'd eventually given up that desire and then simply wished that it wouldn't hurt anymore. He had been neglected for so long that he'd simply wished for the pain to diminish, that he could stop caring so much.

He was glad that pain had diminished over time. He would never wish that pain on anyone, and certainly not his godchildren.

It had taken time, much longer than he would have liked, but Harry had learned to accept his circumstances. His family was his mother, father and brother. His true family, however, was Daphne, Remus, Tonks, and his two godchildren. It might not include his other family, but it didn't need to. He had long ago come to terms with that.

It was time to act like he had. His other family didn't deserve invitations to his wedding simply because they were family. He wasn't inviting the Dursleys, after all.

He would meet with his parents and brother and inform them of his upcoming wedding to Daphne. He had already made that decision, and he wouldn't back out on it. He would have to do so sooner than later. However, their reactions alone would determine whether they got to attend.

Beyond that, he wasn't going to worry about it anymore. His parents had never bothered with sharing their important moments with him. They deserved the same consideration from him, and this was all they were going to get.

Nothing more, nothing less.

"Harry?" Tonks was saying, waving the hand that wasn't holding Anna across Harry's face. "Are you quite alright?"

He blinked and looked around, taking in the four pairs of eyes on him. He quickly realised he'd spaced out. He looked around at the concerned faces of the three people he trusted most and smiled. Wasn't this why they were his true family? They were concerned for him. They cared for him.

What did virtual strangers matter in comparison?

"I'm fine," he said, and he meant it. "I think I've had an epiphany."

"Oh?" said Remus. "Do tell."

"I've been worrying all this time about what to do with my parents and brother," said Harry, "and I really shouldn't have been, and I think it goes back to some small part of me from my childhood which desperately wanted acknowledgement from my parents. Even after I accepted that I'd never get it and told myself to move on, I don't think I ever really stopped wanting it. But why should I want it? They might be my parents, but all they are to me is my other family. My secondary family. I don't need them. My true family is right here with me, as you've always been."

He felt as though a weight he'd never noticed was vanishing from his shoulders. It was rather liberating.

"I'll still tell them I'm getting married," he continued, "but how they react, and that alone, will determine whether they get to attend."

Daphne smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "It's your choice, Harry," she said softly. "With or without the Potters, you and I are soon going to be married, and I can't wait for the day we finally take that step."

"You know I'm always going to be here for you, Harry," said Tonks. "Of all my distant cousins, you're my favorite."

Harry smiled at the reminder. Dorea Potter was a Black by birth and the great-aunt of Andromeda, her sisters, and Sirius. They were all Harry's second cousins, which made Tonks and Draco his second cousins once-removed. He sometimes forgot how large his distant family was. Of course, one of his once-removed second cousins was about to become his brother-in-law as well, and the other was his godfather's wife, so it was usually easier to not think about it.

"I will stand by you no matter what you decide to do, Harry, just as I always have," said Remus.

"Thank you," Harry said, gratitude filling his very being. "All of you."

The mood was noticeably lighter for the rest of their visit. Though it was still clearly on all of their minds, Harry was grateful that the matter of the other Potters wasn't brought up again. The last hour was spent chatting carelessly and, all too soon, it was time for the kids to go to bed for the night and for Harry and Daphne to head home.

"May we tuck the kids in?" Harry asked as they stood up.

"Of course, Harry," Remus said with a smile, and he gently put his yawning, sleepy son into Harry's arms. Beside him, Daphne was taking Anna from an equally smiling Tonks. "We'll be in to say goodnight to them in a few minutes."

Together Harry and Daphne walked into Anna's bedroom and Harry watched fondly as Daphne laid Anna down in her crib and pulled the little blanket up to her chest. They each pressed a kiss to her forehead, taking great care not to wake her, before leaving the room.

"Your turn, mini-me," Harry said quietly as he carried Teddy into his bedroom. "You look like you're ready to go to sleep."

"Nuh-uh," Teddy mumbled sleepily before yawning again. Harry smiled as he lowered Teddy into his bed and tucked his blanket around him. Teddy giggled quietly when Harry ruffled his hair before kissing his forehead.

"Goodnight, kiddo," he said quietly. "Never forget that Auntie Daphie and I are just as proud of you as your parents are. We both love you very much."

"I love you too, Uncle Harry, Auntie Daphie," said Teddy as Daphne kissed his forehead. "G'night."

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Daphne said. As they left the room, she gave Harry a sidelong glance and whispered, "One of these days I'm going to get you for encouraging that nickname. Just you wait, Potter."

Harry snorted. Daphne only called him by surname when she was upset or pretending to be, at least since he'd first asked her out eight years before. "Whatever you say, dear."

"Kids tucked in?" Tonks asked, her hair now brown and hanging above her shoulders.

"Yeah," said Harry. "I think it's time to go. I'm sure Minerva is pacing the floor of her office right now, waiting impatiently for us to leave through her fireplace."

"No doubt," Remus said, chuckling. "Goodnight, you two."

"Goodnight," they echoed back. They stepped through the portrait and, with final smiles at Remus and Tonks, began making their way back to the headmistress's office. As they walked, Daphne took his arm as she had before.

"So, do you feel better?" she asked.

For the first time, Harry didn't have to give it too much thought. "Yeah," he told her, "I feel much better."

* * *

 **Author's Note –  
** It took longer than I thought, too. I was stuck at about five thousand words for a long time. In fact, almost all of the progress I made in 2015 was this month.

The first story in this series got more attention than I thought it would, considering it was the first story I'd posted in about four years, and I expected mixed reception on it. I knew the direction I went with certain characters was not for everyone. Some of them, I admit, were simply because I like the characters in question. The rest I felt were plausible in a parallel world to canon and, whichever way you look at it, no fanfiction is canon. That being said, I was quite surprised to get more positive reception than negative, so I wonder how this one will fare.

I'll eventually post a third story in the series.


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